Land Bridge

Product Description

PRESS CLIPS "Endlessly atmospheric and almost entirely continuous, it's clear that every second of the 41 minutes Land Bridge runs for, has been sweated over in an attempt to squeeze every last bit of aura from it, into making every single second as expressive as it possibly can be. ... a truly brilliant example of just how atmospheric metal can be... engaging and intelligent from start to finish... 4 / 5" - RockMidets.com "The Perihelion suite, showcasing the band's technical prowess while the exhibiting dynamic control of melody and feel, is worthy of it's own EP. No, I don't know why the band has three songs about early January and the location of the Earth in it's orbit around the Sun. But all of the songs are fantastic and the ambient pieces break up the depth of ideas into more easily digestible packets of intense riffing... I can't stop listening to Land Bridge. There is one glaring problem with this disc, though: it's too short, even at 41 minutes. Fortunately, the sheer amount of ideas enable vast re-listens. 10/10" - BeatBots.com "Placed early in the album, the "Perihelion" saga showcases the best of Isthmus's talents early on, with fantastic arpeggios and technical riffs from the guitarists coming hard and fast at every turn. While part II slows down the trilogy slightly with the guitars slowing down to let the almost robotic screamed vocals have a chance to keep up, the two instrumentals do fantastic in keeping a fast exhilarating pace, something unusual for this kind of genre... it is this constant contrast between typical Post-metal atmosphere and style with the technical and exciting playing of the band that makes this album so fascinating... In "Land Bridge", Isthmus have created one of the most technical and atmospheric Post-metal albums of the year, this is an album that almost feels ahead of it's time, like a brief glimpse into what the future of Post-metal could be... 4.5 / 5" - Metal-Observer.com and SputnikMusic.com 'Their talent and the unique sound is showcased cohesively throughout the album. Watch out for the title track, the most doom and epic of all on this album... some serious headbangable and mathy guitar riffing... it just boggles my mind every time I play this... lyrics about nature... serious psychedelic noises, and the top quality production help make this one of this year's best surprises. You guys need to get hip to this. 4.5 / 5' - www.kvtsite.com 'More aspiring art metallers should follow Isthmus's example. On their debut, they very quickly establish their own voice, partially from the more black metal influenced vocals that juxtapose with clean, melodic singing, but more importantly from the arrangements and the actual musicianship. The tracks flow together seamlessly, and by the fourth track, 'Perihelion (II),' you realize you're listening to something different, as the riffs become much more mathy and technical. And that's really what this young band from Baltimore has going for them. Throughout this album, they never fail to dazzle both with their sense of atmosphere and melody (the foundations of the genre). And of course it's heavy, but they're able to bring it to new places through sheer technical virtuosity. Just listen to the guitar runs, arpeggios, and odd time signatures on the stunning instrumental 'Perihelion (III).' ... This is what you would have expected Isis or Cult of Luna to be doing by 2008, instead of a slight variation of their breakthrough albums. This is highly recommended...' - StonerRock.com '...this is a surprisingly mature and well-arranged record. The pacing of the songs is varied and even the 3-part "Perihelion" and 2-part "Red Shift" never wear out their welcome. Think superbly-produced (another high point here), layers of heaviness that still find melody seeping out from memorable corners. 8/10' - RaysRealm.blogspot.com 'Isthmus dynamically combine technical and compositional skills with the ability to create emotion through music, ominously chugging it's way through sludge and doom with melodious intrigue... songs swell and shrink from booming, cavernous low-ends to delicate, sparkling melodies..' - SenBaltimore.com 'the weirdest music i've ever heard... technical stuff... but I do know quite a few people who enjoy this type of stuff. Overall, it's pretty weird.' - IndieRead.com -------------------------------------------------------- ISTHMUS is a progressive metal band from Baltimore, MD. The four-piece group was formed in 2005 by guitarist/vocalist Noel Mueller, and drummer Chris May. Guitarist Matt Hogans and bassist Joe Kienle completed the band in 2007. Among other attempts at description, they have been called 'progressive post-metal' and compared to recent acts, Russian Circles, Intronaut, Dysrhythmia and Baroness. In the Spring of 2008, they entered the studio to record their full-length debut album "Land Bridge." The album was recorded and engineered by Bill Mueller* at Vision-Audio studios. Although quite melodic, "Land Bridge" twists and turns through angular riffs and crushing waves of distortion, with a level of rhythmic complexity well above many recent atmospheric metal bands. Isthmus has shared the stage with a handful of critically acclaimed acts while touring the East Coast, and in their home town of Baltimore, including: Behold... The Arctopus (Metal Blade), Rosetta (Translation Loss), Balboa (Translation Loss), Jucifer (Relapse records), North (Cavity Records), Sea of Bones, Cargo Cult Revival, Conifer (Important Records), God Is An Astronaut, Scale The Summit, Black Pyramid, Lesbian (Holy Mountain), Khann (Black Market Activities), Wooly Mammoth, The Minor Times, Admiral Browning (Dark Harvest Records), Black September, Monolith, and many more. *Nominated for "Best Engineered Recording" by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1984 for Michael Hedges' "Aerial Boundaries."